June 2026
Within the sea of the sufferings of life and death, through his ten kinds of evil forces, the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven has been waging war against the votary of the Lotus Sutra, in order to maintain his power in the impure land of enlightened and unenlightened beings and to further spread his control. I, Nichiren, as the person responding to this, have been fighting back for more than twenty years by leading a large force of my own. Not once have I considered retreat. However, almost all cowards among my disciples and followers have either discarded their faith or have considered regressing in their practice.
(Letter to Ben-dono ama, p. 686)